Latvian Legion

[Daniels89]

After doing some research about the Latvian legion, i simply could not understand exactly what type of uniforms they were using.
I was wondering if anyone in the community knows anything about them. All replies are very much appreciated

[TrondK]

Those boys used the same SS uniform as other legions in the WSS. They had a latvian sleeve shield usually under the eagle on left arm. Sometimes you can also encounter rare Latvian related Collartabs.

Be aware of very well made replicas, always post top quality pics here first so more advanced collectors can aid you, just so you do not end up doing a costly mistake.

[John1945]

Hello,
Here is a studio photograph of two men who served in the Latvian SS.
They would have been issued the same uniforms as other WSS divisions which changed as the war progressed and used division specific insignia. Germans held high ranking positions in the division also but their dress codes were standardised as per all divisons of the Waffen SS.
You can Google the division and see how their insignia changed during the war and find many period photographs showing uniforms in wear.
Hope this helps.

[John1945]

A few more...

[TrondK]

Interesting detail for me to see in these pics must be the placement of the sleeve shields. Left and right arm attachments is seen here.
Everytime is see baltic sleeveshields, reminds me of still not having elusive wh baltic jackets in my pile.

[John1945]

Here are some more variations of insignia placement and it's design.

[TrondK]

The last pic are most likely of Schuma volunteers. auxiliary police troops in various occupied territories, mostly put together by using local villagers .
PS: They are challenging to find, so if you want to "suffer" before maybe manage to find original pieces, well then start collecting schuma.

I zoomed in on the shoulderboard to show what i believe are schuma insignias.

[John1945]

They probably had past experience in the Latvian military, police etc. prior to 1940 and "volunteered" for the auxillary force upon occupation by the Germans.
Most were Latvian nationalist and believed they were fighting for independence (which the Germans happily gave false hope) and were responsible for many war crimes.
(Edit: It may be worth mentioning that some members of the Schuma later joined the ranks of the Latvian SS in 43, whereas some continued in police battalions until the end of the war)

Would love to see someone's collection of any original Latvian SS/auxillary police items.
Very interesting topic. Thanks for the photos.

[Daniels89]

Could you further explain what the Schuma is?

[John1945]

Of course, the "Schutzmannschaften" (Schuma) were auxillary police units created in occupied countries during ww2 (such as Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia etc.)
They were subordinate to the German Order Police (headed at this point by H. Himmler) and were responsible for facilitating pogroms, anti-partisan/resistance operations, and supporting Einsatz forces amongst other duties.

As a result they were directly responsible for many war crimes, were instrumental towards implementing "The Final Solution" and essential (particularly in the early stages of Operation Barbarossa) to the Einsatzgruppen.

Hope this helps.